Student mob beats up military member wrongly lured in TikTok predator trap: police

A gang of college students at a Massachusetts Catholic university have been charged with chasing and beating a 22-year-old active-duty serviceman they falsely accused in a TikTok-inspired "To Catch a Predator" scheme gone wrong, NBC News reported on Tuesday.

A statement of facts about the case claims that the victim, whose identity and branch of military service are being withheld, is not implicated as a child predator by any actual evidence.

Assumption University is a private Catholic school. Six students allegedly orchestrated the scheme, but "more than two dozen" people ended up chasing the victim down and participating in the assault. Five of the six students were charged with kidnapping and conspiracy, with one further being charged with intimidation and another being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The sixth person allegedly involved was a minor.

According to police, one of the students, 19-year-old Easton Randall, said, “Catch a predator is a big thing on TikTok currently” — leading to a spate of people trying to emulate the three-season-long NBC show, where adults seeking to have sexual contact with children were lured into a trap using undercover operatives and hidden cameras.

Assumption University's president, Greg Weiner, called the incident “abhorrent and antithetical to Assumption University’s mission and values. In all circumstances, we expect our students to exercise sound judgment and uphold the principles of respect, responsibility, and character that define our community.”

He added: “This situation is particularly sobering because the victim is an active-duty military service member. His service reminds us of the sacrifices made by those who defend our freedoms, including the opportunity to pursue a college education.”

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This is not the first time the TikTok "To Catch a Predator" trend has led to criminal mischief. Last month, 11 teenagers in Mount Prospect, Illinois were charged in a scheme where they allegedly lured men with dating apps and then beat them.

TikTok trends and "challenges" have led to a variety of harmful and destructive behaviors being imitated across the country, with teenagers doing everything from taking massive, psychoactive doses of Benadryl to tampering with electrical outlets, to the 2021 "Devious Licks" challenge that prompted kids to steal fixtures like soap dispensers and fire alarms from their schools.